


Snapshots of a Brother's Life

by Cleo



Category: CSI: NY
Genre: Angst, Backstory, Brotherhood, Canonical Character Death, Character Study, Drama, Episode Related, Gen, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-04-20
Updated: 2006-04-20
Packaged: 2017-10-19 19:50:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,818
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/204591
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cleo/pseuds/Cleo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What you do to protect your little brother?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Snapshots of a Brother's Life

**Author's Note:**

> This is a spoiler/companion piece to the episode Run Silent, Run Deep. This is all Louie's POV.

**January 1973**

Louie sat in his momma's lap and listened as she told him he was gonna have a baby brother or sister. She said that since he was a big boy, being six and all, that he could help her look out for the baby. She was expecting him to help teach it things and be there for it as it grew up. Louie wasn't sure if he could do it but for his momma he would try.

 **August 1973**

Momma and his new baby brother had been home for two days now and Louie was scared. The baby cried a lot and he was scared the baby was sick. How could he help momma and the baby if the baby was sick? Louie couldn't fix sick even he knew that. Momma was tired all the time and Pop was at work all day.

Right now it was quiet and Momma was taking a nap. She had told Louie to be good and watch TV quietly. But Louie couldn't watch TV; instead he was standing in the nursery looking over his baby brother, Danny. Danny was so tiny, the tiniest thing he'd ever seen. He didn't know what he could do to help but watch over little Danny and try his best to protect him from the bad things in life. Louie knew he wasn’t strong enough or tough enough yet to do that but he promised himself he would be soon. He'd do all he could to look out for his Little Danny.

 **September 1978**

Louie heard it before he saw it. Little Danny was crying and before he even thought about it Louie was running toward his baby bro. At eleven Louie had started to get a rep as a scrapper when it came to his brother. He'd done some serious damage already to a couple of bullies who'd tried to pick on Danny.

Louie rounded the corner and skidded to a halt. There was Danny sitting on the ground crying holding a bloodied knee.

"What happened to my brother?" Louie demanded even as he knelt next to Danny and started to help stop the blood.

"He was playing tag and tripped. He went skidding pretty far, that's what happened," some new kid Louie hadn't met yet said.

"Is that what really happened?" Louie asked as he looked at the other kids' faces. He could tell that it wasn't the truth but they were all too scared of the new kid to say anything. Louie made a note to keep an eye on the new kid.

"Yeah, that's the way it was," the new kid said smiling as if to say to him and everyone else to prove he was lying.

Yes, Louie really did have to keep an eye on this kid. He picked Danny up and took him to the Nurse's Office to get cleaned up. He would eventually find out what happened and then decide what to do about it.

 **May 1983**

Once again Louie found himself in a fight but this time it was with a bunch of boys from Pelham. He was out numbered and just barely holding his own. Out of nowhere came the kid that had hurt Danny. He'd since found out his name was Sonny Sassone. Right now Sonny was helping him with these Pelham boys. When they were the last two standing, Louie turned to Sonny.

"Why'd you help?" Louie asked.

"Because I think you and I could be a good team. I want you to be a part of my gang?" Sonny replied.

Louie started walking toward home intending to stop by his friend Sal's to clean up. He didn't want to worry his ma too much. She was already worried about the frequency of his fights. He knew people already knew not to mess with a Messer because of his dad. Though he never let on to his dad he knew he wasn't such an upstanding businessman. He knew his dad _helped_ out the family once in awhile with making things happen or disappear.

He'd also learned that Sonny Sassone was from one of the family's families. He was something like third generation and from all the rumors he was definitely aware of the legacy. Now, it looked like he wanted to start at an early age to work in the family business. Louie wasn't stupid no matter how he acted. He may not have the smarts that Little Danny had but he was street smart. He knew Sonny was working on his own organization so that he could have what he wanted. He also knew that Sonny expected Louie to jump at the invitation thinking his rep would cause him to feel honored.

Louie also knew, now that Sonny had offered his aid and Louie had accepted it that made Louie indebted to him. Which to the family meant they owned you for life. Louie was caught and he knew if he didn’t repay the favor from Sonny, Danny would have to pay it. The last thing Louie wanted was Danny to get involved with Sonny. Little Danny was too smart to be in this kind of life.

Phrasing his words carefully Louie said, "Sonny, I appreciate your help and the offer. Can I give you my answer after I've dealt with all the blows to the melon from the fight?"

Sonny chuckled and slapped Louie on the back, "Okay kid. I'll give you till the end of the weekend. You can tell me the answer after school on Monday." With that said he turned and walked away leaving Louie to wonder what nightmare he was about to enter.

 **1988**

It had been five years since Louie had said yes to Sonny on joining him and shortly after that thanks to Louie's insistence they brought in Sal. Thereby starting what had become the Tanglewood Boys. Louie had figured if he could get Sonny to recruit the less vicious boys then he could lessen the evil that Sonny could do. Sonny was also determined to recruit both Messer boys as a crowning achievement. Louie knew it was a way to try and keep Louie under his thumb.

In order to protect Danny, Louie had had to start pulling away from the kid. He had to start shooting his little bro down and keeping him at bay. He could see the hurt he was causing and felt bad about it. After all he had promised momma to help look after Danny and the only way he could look after him in this situation was to hurt him. Louie hated seeing Danny hurt. It always made him feel as helpless as he did when Danny first came home from the hospital.

Here he was watching, as Sonny once again tried to convince Louie that Danny was old enough to be a Tanglewood Boy. Louie stuck to the same argument he always did. Danny wasn't street enough. He was too much of a momma's boy to ever be a true Tanglewood. He kept reminding Sonny of the many instances of Danny being a crybaby. Or not being about to stomach the simple initiations that Louie was able to convince Sonny to give Danny to show he was man enough to be a Tanglewood. Even if it shamed Danny, Louie had always sabotaged the initiations somehow. He'd made sure that Danny was never put in a position where he needed Sonny's help so as to prevent the snare he had fallen into.

Yet Danny himself was part of the problem. Feeling the rift between them widening Danny tried harder to be the kind of brother he thought Louie wanted. For Louie that made his work of protecting harder because that meant it was only going to lead to Louie having to hurt Danny really bad in order to get him to leave the Tanglewood Boys alone.

 **August 1991**

Sonny had said they were going to take Danny to Atlantic City for his birthday as a treat but to meet up at Giant Stadium because he had a surprise. What he saw when they got there was not what he expected. He knew he had to get Danny gone ASAP. The kid Sonny had kidnapped was dealing in what Sonny had considered his turf and Sonny was determined to teach him a lesson.

When Sonny had started beating on the kid he knew the night was gonna end badly and he didn't want Danny to be a part of it. The kid was headed for college via a baseball scholarship and actually had a shot at the pros. He was proud of his little brother and he wasn't gonna let Sonny steal that future from his brother.

When Danny's sweet soul cried out for it to stop, he knew he had to hurt that soul in order to save it. So he lashed out physically at his little bro. Something he had never done before ever. Danny had always gone to him to get away from the physical hurts from others and now he was receiving it from the one he looked up to. Louie saw the betrayal in Danny's eyes and knew he had succeeded. He had never expected to see that look directed at himself come from Danny.

As the car pulled off Louie picked up the cigarette he'd smacked out of Danny's mouth. He knew he'd need a smoke by the time this night was over. He also knew it would take years for Danny to ever forgive him if at all. That would only happen if he somehow got away from Sonny and Tanglewood.

 **2006**

When his brother's boss, Mac Taylor, paid him a visit and told him that Danny was suspected in what they did to that kid, he couldn't help old habits. He told Taylor not to worry he was gonna protect his brother no matter what. Just like he had done Danny's entire life until that night fifteen years ago. Though he and Danny hadn't spoken outside of family gatherings since then and it had only been since shortly after Danny joined the NYPD that they'd started talking again. He knew to stay away from Danny and his job because the Messer name still carried a long shadow and Tanglewood's was almost as bad.

But this situation was not of Danny's doing but his. He did the only thing he could he got Sonny to confess without knowing. He knew Sonny suspected something but didn't know what so he sent his boys after him. All he could think was they didn't find and destroy the tape recorder he'd used to tape Sonny's confession. He knew that when someone found his broken body they'd find the recorder and Danny would be protected and safe again. That's all that mattered now Danny would be safe. Those were his last thoughts as darkness claimed him.


End file.
